Street Art in Miri

I find street art rather fascinating and have made it a point to visit street art venues in places that I visit. I particularly like the street art of Melbourne and Penang but I find the street art on the walls of Ta Kiong Emporium in Sibu rather disappointing.

I drive by Miri Heritage Centre almost every day and have seen the nice street art on the walls on the centre. But I have never actually stopped by to take photos of the artwork. Bulatan Park is another venue where street art has been commissioned. With time of my hand, I decided to visit these two venues today to take photos of the art expressions.

The street art at these two locations in Miri was made possible through the initiative of iM4U, a social non-profit organisation, under its Public Art Movement project in partnership with Nippon Paint. The Miri project was the first ever project in Malaysia under Public Art Movement.

The street art expression illustration at the Miri Heritage Centre is a collaboration of five talented local street artists – Mohd Nasrim, Faiz Yunus, and members of Art Misfits comprising Angel Ng, The Sliz and Chekri. The artwork features some of Miri’s popular icons including the iconic seahorse – the symbol of Miri City, the famous Gua Niah, local ethnic warrior with his blowpipe, the great Hornbill and Rafflesia flower. These beautiful artworks have become very popular for visitors to Miri as they offer great photo opportunities.

The last time I actually visited Bulatan Park was many years ago. So I was in for a pleasant surprise today when I visited the park. It has become quite beautiful and is reasonably well-maintained.  I saw a couple of security personnel  too, giving visitors a sense of safety.

Well, I would classify the street art at Bultan Park into 3 main categories: (1) wall art (2) bench/table art (3) rubbish bin art. I can see that almost all the benches and tables and some of the rubbish bins in the park have been given an artistic makeover.

 

Wall Art

 

Bench/Table Art

 

 

Rubish Bin Art

I have also seen two beautiful art expressions on the front walls of the Apartment 9 perimeter wall along Jalan Brighton. This building is situated directly opposite the Samling HQ and ParkCity Everly Hotel. Just before I went to pick up my son from work this evening, I stopped at this place to take photos of the artwork there.

My fervent hope is that street art with a vintage theme will be commissioned in Miri, particularly in China Street, Kingsway and High Street. Such art will add an aura of nostalgia for visitors to the old parts of Miri city.